Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
More than 150,000 people have attended the first two days of the 2023 Melbourne Cup Carnival, it is on track to surpass the 244,208 attendees of last year’s four days, and the Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is delighted.
Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup Day attracted a crowd of 84,492, the biggest attendance for the meeting since 2017, and an increase of 14.5 per cent on last year when 73,816 patrons braved the inclement conditions.
And on Victoria Derby Day on Saturday, 73,056 people flocked to what is widely regarded as the best day of racing anywhere in the world.
“I was saying to a few people yesterday, we’re back, in a big way. That’s the real, old Melbourne Cup… more than 84,000 people on track and the atmosphere on course was just so good, with everyone enjoying themselves,” Leigh Jordon, the VRC’s executive general manager – racing, told The Thoroughbred Report.
“Last week, you could just tell the build up to the Melbourne Cup Carnival… the amount of coverage in the media and just people talking about it, the Melbourne Cup Carnival is definitely back front and centre after COVID.”
“...the amount of coverage in the media and just people talking about it, the Melbourne Cup Carnival is definitely back front and centre after COVID.” - Leigh Jordon
With fine weather forecast, and some cracking races to come, especially on the final day, Jordon expects the remaining two days - Oaks Day on Thursday and Champions Day on Saturday - will also be well-patronised.
“Oaks Day, the weather is going to be perfect; we could get 40-50,000, then on the final day we could get 60-70,000, so over four days, they’re crowd numbers that you won’t get anywhere else in Australia or even around the world,” Jordon commented.
“...over four days, they’re crowd numbers that you won’t get anywhere else in Australia or even around the world.” - Leigh Jordon
The crowd numbers may not be as great as the glory days, when 122,736 fans packed Flemington in 2003 when the great Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}) won the first of her three Cups, and Derby Day of 2006, where 129,089 saw Michael Rodd ride Efficient (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) a treat to land the feature, but, as someone that was in attendance at both of these respective meetings, that is a good thing. My memories of Cup Day in 2003 and Derby Day in 2006, are of them being far too crowded, which made the experience unpleasant to some degree.
“The atmosphere and the build up (this year) has been incredible. When the horses were going to the barrier on Cup Day, people were cheering and there was this really big roar that went through the whole course when the gates opened. It was electric,” said Jordon.
“There’s no doubt the Cup is the race that stops the nation, in fact some 760 million watch the race throughout the world in over 260 different countries.
“There’s no doubt the Cup is the race that stops the nation, in fact some 760 million watch the race throughout the world in over 260 different countries.” - Leigh Jordon
“The Melbourne Cup hasn’t gone away anywhere, but definitely it just was back in a big way yesterday (Tuesday).”
Jordon is an experienced administrator, and has played a pivotal role in the recruitment of international horses for Victoria’s spring features. He claims nothing compares to the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
“I’ve travelled a fair bit, obviously to carnivals, but also conferences, and the Melbourne Cup is one race that resonates outside the sport. People know it. I know that by going on the Melbourne Cup Tour, if you produce the Melbourne Cup, even in a restaurant or public place, it really has that lustre and attraction to it and people know it.”
Leigh Jordon | Image courtesy of Darren McNamara
Jordan admits the VRC was conscious of the cost of living crisis, coupled with ongoing interest rate hikes, when forecasting crowd numbers for this year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.
“It’s a good point, we were certainly conscious of that,” he said.
“I think some people have gone back to the old way of planning for the carnival months in advance. People booked a table, went there and really enjoyed themselves, so that was really heartening to see.
“People see it as a great carnival. It’s a fabulous venue, one that’s always presented in magnificent condition. We’ve got more than 20,000 roses throughout the course.
“People see it as a great carnival. It’s a fabulous venue, one that’s always presented in magnificent condition.” - Leigh Jordon
“And The Birdcage, you won’t see anything like that anywhere else in the world. There’s nothing like it.”
A global event
The four-day Flemington Carnival, in particular Melbourne Cup Day, has become one of the great international days on the sporting calendar.
A host of overseas horses have followed in the footsteps of Dermot Weld’s Irish gelding Vintage Crop’s (Ire) (Rousillon {USA}), who famously won the race in 1993. Some of these include Delta Blues (Jpn) (Dance In The Dark {Jpn}) in 2006, Americain (USA) in 2010, Dunaden (Fr) in 2011 and Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) in 2018.
It’s not just horses that head Down Under, with trainers, jockeys, owners and fans all regular participants.
The 2023 Melbourne Cup jockeys | Image courtesy of Victoria Racing Club
“One of the international guests who was there yesterday (Tuesday) and has been to courses all over the world, commented on how good the course was presented,” explained Jordon.
“We had (jockey) Hollie Doyle as the first female international to ride in the race and (jockey) Tom Marquand had three rides on the day. Hollie told me the crowd noise and just the whole hype of the race was fantastic, and Tom, who didn’t have a Cup ride, watched it from up in the clock tower with a couple of other jockeys, he said he’s never experienced anything like it.
“Both Hollie and Tom said, ‘We’re coming back next year and we’re staying longer’.
“Both Hollie (Doyle) and Tom (Marquand) said, ‘We’re coming back next year and we’re staying longer’.” - Leigh Jordon
“Even Ryan Moore, who is a man of few words, asked me the crowd figure and when I told him it was up he said, ‘Yeah, I could tell, the atmosphere was fantastic’.”
Horse welfare paramount
Significantly, for the third year in succession, all Cup runners returned safely to their stalls after Tuesday’s two-mile contest, which was a true staying test, run in warm conditions. There has not been a fatality in the Cup since Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in 2020. More stringent safety protocols were introduced following the 2020 Cup Carnival. It was determined that international trainers must subject their horses to CT or MRI scans, which must be approved by RV’s veterinary panel, before a horse will be allowed to travel.
X-rays are no longer compulsory for international horses, however, RV can demand trainers produce radiographs of selected horses.
RV also appoints a case manager for international horses as a point of contact for trainers in a bid to improve “operational communication methods and processes”.
“We just couldn’t afford any more fatalities in the race,” said Jordon.
“We just couldn’t afford any more fatalities in the race.” - Leigh Jordon
“The measures that were initially put in place may have seemed a bit extreme, also having the scintigraphy attached as well. That was changed after the first year.
“Some trainers overseas are still coming to grips with it.
“(Irish trainer) Willie Mullins is a great advertisement, he’s often said, ‘This is what we have to do, if that makes racing safer, we’re happy to go through it’, and he did it with his two horses (Vauban and Absurbe).
Willie Mullins | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Also with the diagnostic testing, things will develop and it will probably become a lot easier as technology changes.
“We are mindful that it is a live sport and we are doing everything we can to reduce risk, but we’re probably never going to eliminate every bit of risk. What we have done has definitely helped over the last few years.”
